5 NHL Teams Already Regretting Their 2023 Offseason Pickups
The offseason is a time when NHL clubs attempt to bolster their rosters via trades or free agency while they're flush with salary cap room.
Some teams garner attention by making more moves than others. Sometimes, a club will draw interest by adding a notable talent to their lineup, like the Dallas Stars signing Matt Duchene this summer.
Fans and pundits love to rate those moves when they happen to predict whether they'll pan out. However, the only way to know for certain is once the regular season is underway.
We're now over two weeks into the 2023-24 NHL schedule but there are early signs that some notable offseason acquisitions might not be working out as hoped. Here's a look at the five most notable and the reasons why they're off to such poor starts.
Do you agree or disagree with our listing? Is there someone we missed who should be here? Let us know in the comments below.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Signing Ryan Reaves
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The Toronto Maple Leafs made several notable signings during the summer of 2023. They brought in forwards Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi and defenseman John Klingberg on one-year contracts as well as gritty winger Ryan Reaves on a three-year deal.
Explaining the additions of Bertuzzi, Domi and Reaves, Leafs general manager Brad Treliving told reporters that he wanted to add "a little more snot to our game." In other words, he wanted players who could bring more toughness to a lineup that seemed to be lacking that commodity last season, especially in the playoffs.
Bertuzzi is off to a slow start with three points in his first seven games, but head coach Sheldon Keefe said he was playing hurt. Domi is still adjusting to his new club but had four assists in seven games. Reaves' contributions, meanwhile, leave something to be desired.
Signed to a three-year contract with an average annual value of $1.4 million, the 36-year-old Reaves is a physical checking-line forward known for being a leader in the dressing room. In his first five games, he has no points, a plus-minus of minus-four and a team-leading 12 PIMs.
Reaves' notable highlights include getting manhandled by Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekej in the Leafs' season-opening game, later accusing Xhekej of jumping him. He also chirped Chicago Blackhawks winger Corey Perry, who shook off the insults and went on to score what proved to be the game-winning goal as his club upset the Leafs 4-1.
So far, Reaves' on-ice contributions haven't significantly improved the Leafs or intimidated their opponents. If his current performance is any indication of what to expect over the course of his contract, the cap-strapped Leafs could regret this investment.
St. Louis Blues: Trading for Kevin Hayes
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Things didn't go well for Kevin Hayes in 2022-23. In the fourth season of his seven-year, $50 million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, he finished second among their leading scorers with 54 points. However, he was bounced around the lineup, sparking trade rumors leading up to the March 2023 trade deadline.
With the Flyers rebuilding under new management, Hayes was considered a trade candidate heading into the NHL offseason. At one point, it appeared he would be traded to the St. Louis Blues in a blockbuster deal involving Torey Krug. However, Krug used his no-trade clause to spike the deal.
Ultimately, Hayes did get traded to the Blues on June 28 in a deal that seemed like a steal at the time. The Flyers agreed to retain 50 percent of Hayes' $7.14 million average annual value over the remaining three years of his contract. In return, the Blues only gave up a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Hayes was happy to be moving on to a new club where he could have a fresh start and an opportunity to silence his critics. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong envisioned the 6'5", 216-pounder skating among his top-nine forwards.
Centering the Blues' third line, Hayes has a team-leading faceoff win percentage of 60.3. However, he has just two assists in his first six games this season with just four shots on goal. He's averaged 15:22 of ice time per game.
It could take some time for the 31-year-old Hayes to get fully up to speed with his new club. However, if his stats fail to improve over the course of the season, this trade could be one the cap-strapped Blues come to regret.
New York Rangers: Signing Blake Wheeler
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On June 30, the Winnipeg Jets bought out the final season of Blake Wheeler's five-year contract. The following day, the 36-year-old right winger inked a one-year, $800,000 deal with the New York Rangers.
Wheeler spent his playing prime with the Jets. During his 12 seasons in Winnipeg, he reached or exceeded 60 points nine times, including back-to-back 91-point campaigns in 2017-18 and 2018-19. He also served as their captain from 2016-17 to 2021-22.
While Wheeler's production was in decline over the past four seasons, Rangers general manager Chris Drury was happy to bring him to New York. He believed the 6'5", 222-pounder's size, experience and leadership along with his ability to move up and down the roster would make him a good addition.
Entering the season, Wheeler embraced his new club and settled in well with his new teammates. On the ice, however, he's yet to make a notable impression, going pointless in his first seven games.
Following his first game with the Rangers, Ron Duguay posted that Wheeler had had a nice career but he saw very little value thus far. He's seen mostly third-line duty where he's averaged just 12:14 of ice time per game through his first seven contests.
Landing Wheeler for a bargain-basement one-year deal made him an affordable gamble on Drury's part. However, it could prove to be a regrettable move if he doesn't significantly improve their production at right wing this season.
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Dallas Stars: Signing Matt Duchene
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On July 1, 2019, Matt Duchene signed a seven-year, $56 million contract with the Nashville Predators. Fast forward to June 30, 2023, and they bought out the final three years of the 32-year-old forward's contract.
The following day, the Dallas Stars signed Duchene to a one-year, $3 million deal. It was an opportunity for him to have a fresh start after four inconsistent seasons with the Predators.
A versatile offensive forward who can play center as well as on the wing, Duchene has netted 55-plus points nine times in his 15 NHL seasons. He reached a career-best 43 goals and 86 points with the Predators in 2021-22 but his production dropped last season to 22 goals and 56 points.
Duchene didn't want to leave the Predators but they needed to clear space to bring in younger, affordable players like Luke Evangelista, Cody Glass and Tommy Novak. Joining the Stars, he acknowledged that there could be some ups and downs as he adjusted to his new club but he felt he was prepared for them.
Stars general manager Jim Nill singled out Duchene's skills as a proven point producer who led by example. Six games into this season, however, Nill might be having some second thoughts about his $3 million investment
Duchene has seen action on the Stars' second and third lines plus he's skating on their second power-play unit. However, he's yet to register a point with his new club. It could be only a matter of time until he overcomes the early-season bumps that he spoke about. However, this could also be a troubling sign that his offensive abilities are on the wane.
Carolina Hurricanes: Signing Dmitry Orlov
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One of the most notable free-agent signings of the summer saw Dmitry Orlov inked a two-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes worth an average annual value of $7.5 million. At the time, it seemed like a shrewd short-term move by the Hurricanes to bolster their blue line by adding the best defenseman on the market.
Orlov, 32, was considered a physical shutdown defenseman who could chip in offensively during his nearly 11 seasons with the Washington Capitals. Last season proved to be his best in points with 36 in 66 games split between the Capitals and Boston Bruins, where he 17 points in 23 regular season games as well as eight in seven playoff contests.
It was assumed Orlov would skate with Brent Burns on the Hurricanes' top defense pairing, giving them a solid mix of size, skill and two-way abilities. Instead, he saw second or third-pairing duty, averaging 18:25 of time on ice per game.
Orlov received 2:58 minutes per game of power-play time, picking up his only two points (both assists) on the man advantage. However, he's seen little time on the penalty kill with just 35 seconds per game. His plus-minus after six games was a league-worst minus-11 with half of that accrued during their 6-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 15.
It's apparent that Orlov is struggling to adjust with his new club. Still, the season is young and he should regain his form as the schedule rolls along. Orlov could get that opportunity as he replaces the sidelined Brett Pesce on their second pairing.
As their highest-paid defenseman, Orlov's performance thus far is disappointing. The Hurricanes could rue the day that they made this investment if he doesn't improve, especially if what they spent on him prevents them from re-signing Pesce next summer.
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